Perspectives on the beautiful game of soccer; fueled by enormous amounts of coffee

Sunday, June 29, 2008

DC United/LA Galaxy running blog

Here we go, here we go now. I'm actually semi-awake. I even had a little breakfast (fried egg sandwich, tea).Predictions, folks? Got a little while to get them in before kickoff to claim bragging rights.LA: Steve Cronin (GK), Mike Randolph, Ante Jazic, Chris Klein, Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle, Alvaro Pires, Abel Xavier, David Beckham, Ely Allen, Sean Franklin"The hottest team in the league" says JP of DC.Zach Wells, Gonzalo Peralta, Fred, Marcelo Gallardo, Luciano Emilio, Devon McTavish, Clyde Simms, Gonzalo Martinez, Santino Quaranta, Bryan Namoff, Jaime MorenoEek - the bumper hadn't turned off Harkes' mic, so as the graphic plays into commercial, we hear him ask, "Good?"Hopkins interviewed Donovan about scoring so many goals this year - LD seems more concerned about making the playoffs.It looks hot out in DC.Kickoff!1 - Beckham tries to cross the ball into the box, and catches Martinez (Harkes calls him Luciano) Emilio) in the tummy. Martinez looks in a lot of pain. And people wonder why defenders don't like to close him down on crosses.3 - Quarenta with speed down the right, crosses into the box, but no one from DC is there.5 - Penalty Kick! Jazic barrels into Quarenta from behind and Jair Marrufo points to the spot. Jaime Moreno takes it quickly, slotting it to the right as Cronin dives the other way 1-0. DC.7 - Couple of half-chances as Buddle and Becks try to hook up - but nothing quite comes off.9 - LD recieves a deep throw-in from Becks, gets pulled at, but doesn't get the call.11 - Harkes, trying not to be a homer, says Emilio was offside as Luciano gets behind the defense and gets the pass. he's alone on Cronin, hits the ball low, but Cronin gets down for it. Cro gives up the rebound, though, but the Galaxy defense clear.12 - CK for DC off another Emilio-led attack. Cleared, but the follow outside shot from Quaranta is wide.14 - Pires in the box, can't really get a shot off - Pires gets kicked by Simms and goes down, but doesn't get the call. Counter going the other way, Luciano from Fred, this time he beats Cronin with his shot, but this time, the offside is called.16 - Beckham gets a rough tackle from Moreno and sends a FK ball spinning into the box that everyone misjudges and misses, both on DC and LA.17 - Wells catches a Becks cross.19 - LA is conceding possession to DC - trying to avoid the counter, I suppose. But DC United prove they can build play up, working the ball around until Namoff takes a shot. It's wide, rattling the boards beside the net.21 - Gallardo tries to beat X in the box. Doesn't quite come off.NO GOAL - LD was just offside on the equalizer.24 - DC with ball movement that the announcers ooh and ah over, but ultimately Cronin scoops up the soft shot from Simms.JP, Gallardo did NOT play against Beckham in that infamous 1998 match. Becks was carded off before Gallardo subbed in.26 - GOAL! Becks LD one-two, LD flicks the ball into the box and Buddle fights for the ball in the box, just getting a shot off as Wells comes in. 1-1.28 - Burch in for Quaranta as DC has a dangerous FK. Gallardo takes, but Cronin gets there.31 - Becks sends in anther cross that Wells catches.Hopkins informs us that Q hurt his hamstring.32 - LD in the box, tries to head ball over a charging Wells, but Zack is able to get a hand on the ball.33 - Burch puts too much on his cross overhits Emilio in the box.35 - Enough about the weather, announcers! We get it. Talk the game.37 - GOAL! Luciano Emilio off a Burch cross. None of the Galaxy defenders in the box went up for the cross and the far post header beat Cronin. 2-1 DC United.39 - Marrufo, one of the few fulltime refs in MLS, is letting a lot go this game. Becks gets nailed but no call.42 - Gallardo elbows LD - LD is furious as he receives a yellow card. His nose is bleeding. Cotton is stuck in his nose. The ref and fourth official missed the elbow, but got Donovan for - I'm not sure - persistent infringement? No, dissent. TV only showed LD's yellow, but actually Jair carded both players.45 - Gallardo tries to say something to LD, perhaps that the elbow was unintentional, but LD ignores him.Halftime - Well, everyone expected goals and there are three so far, so at least the scoreless draw people were secretly dreading hasn't happened. The money men, Buddle, Luciano, and Moreno have gotten on the board as well. It will be interesting to see the second half.48 - Galaxy corner - Becks finds Buddle, but Edson can't get it towards goal - the header pops up.Hopkins reports that Ruud is frustrated with the officiating - believes Gallardo should have been red-carded for the elbow. If Andy Gray was calling this game, he'd be in a huge snit about that, too, I think.51 - Dodgy defending around the Galaxy box, but they escape.52 - Tudela gets a yellow, but the cameras don't show why. JP mentions Gallardo's yellow, seems to think that LD was upset that it took so long for the yellow to come out on Gallardo - no, it's that it wasn't a red card that upset him.54 - The players are walking at various points now - the heat is definitely worse and wearing players down.55 - Gallardo wide on a shot.56 - SAVE! Fred versus Cronin, Cronin saves it. Harkes harshes on Fred's effort, not giving Cro much credit.58 - Gallardo puts a shot over the top, after Emilio laid the ball back for him.59 - GOAL! Gallardo in the box and this time he goes side netting. It looks like Emilio got a handball on that, but the refs don't call it. 3-1 .61 - LD gets bumped in the box by Burch, but tries to shoot anyway and Wells parries. Marrufo doesn't call the PK.63 - The Galaxy do get a corner, ball gets back out to Becks, Fred misses the clear and the ball hits LD, but bounces to safety for DC.67 - LA looks exhausted - but the cliche is probably true - "It's not the heat, it's the humidity". It's not very humid at all in LA, and the humidity can really affect those who aren't used to it.69 - GOAL - Emilio puts away the service from Fred, who took a touch pass from Gallardo.Harkes is calling for Olsen to come in, waxing nostalgic about the all that Olsen's ankle has gone through.74 - Harkes gets his wish. Olsen is coming into the game for Moreno. Harkes gets sentimental about the fans cheering for Olsen.75 - Buddle with a wayward shot from way out.78 - Buddle with another outside shot.80 - It's mostly DC, though, as Emilio gets in the box again, Klein chasing, but Cronin saves and Klein clears the rebound.84 - Cronin makes two saves in a row. He actually has 8 in the game, despite giving up four goals.87 - The Galaxy try to work the ball up - they're stifled by DC.88 - Buddle and LD in the box - can't quite hoot up and DC clear.89 - Dyachenko goes wide and high on the counter.90 - LD on the break, hits a shot that Wells saves - CK for LA. Header by Gordon is deflected for another corner. Becks sets up for this one. It's cleared for a throw in.90 + DC counter, Emilio is in free, but Cronin saves it. Harkes makes some weird crack about how Moreno must want to be out there.Final whistle.DC an emphatic win at home. It might have been different if the call had been made for the elbow against Gallardo, but the home team took care of business.

I was at the game, and LA was just not consistent in the second half. Wing play was non-existant as Jazic and Beckham kept going into the middle of the field. Defense wasn't communicating. Donovan and Buddle tried, but it didn't help that the defense could not keep the ball out of the Galaxy side of the field. If it hadn't been for Cronin, it could've easily been 6 or 7 to 1. On the same end, Wells kept Donovan and Buddle at bay.

DC should have played a man down the entire second half. Pitiful decision by the ref. And it would have made a difference in the game. After all, he scored the decisive 3rd goal and figured in other play, as well.

But I won't go so far as to say that the Galaxy would have won. That, we'll never know.

What's a big issue for LA is how they crumble after bad calls. It happened in Colorado, when Xavier got booked for a nonexistent PK - it happened in DC when Gallardo wasn't sent off. The team was competitive in both games until those points - then it's almost like, "The ref is against us, we give up."

I read the AP report after the game, and Gullit is complaining about the heat and humidity, again.

What, Italy (where Gullit played most of his club ball) doesn't get hot and humid?

BTW, I know he played in Milan. If I'm not mistaken, Milan is at the same latitude as New Jersey.

I'm sorry but this sounds like a coach trying to cover his posterior. Why didn't United wilt in the heat and humidity? Why didn't Toronto wilt in the unseasonable heat of April when the Galaxy couldn't protect a lead at the Home Depot Center?

As far as Ruiz being on the trading block, good. The Gals need a defender or three, and Ruiz is good bait.

Then again, with Bozo the Mad Genius running things, the Gals might get three benchwarmers and salary-cap space for Ruiz...

Beau, it was just as hot and humid for D.C. United. I understand that the human body, even when it's trained to an athletic peak, can only take so much. That said, I can't think of any other team in MLS -- or in any other pro league, for that matter -- whose coach tries to make the weather an excuse.

This is the third time Gullit has done this; the first time was after the season opener in Colorado, the second was after an unseasonably hot day out here after a game against Toronto. In both games, the Galaxy lost and embarassed itself in the process.